Deep in the Mississippi Delta lies a town with fewer than 600 residents, where poverty affects nearly 40% of the community. In a place with so few resources for people, there are even fewer for animals. Packs of stray dogs roam the edges of streets and woods — some shy and skittish, others completely feral.
These eight puppies were born to one such feral mother. She dug a shallow den beneath an abandoned storage shed near the railroad tracks. This property has long been a gathering place for homeless dogs.
Thankfully, there was someone watching. Lessie K., one of the many independent rescuers Wright-Way works with each year, keeps her heart and eyes on the forgotten animals of her town. She feeds them, traps and spays/neuters them, and gently persuades owners to surrender dogs who spend their lives chained up.
When she noticed the new litter, she began tracking them closely. This was the third litter from the same mother dog. One day, she saw that there were only eight puppies left instead of nine. Predators may have found them, or perhaps the little ones were starting to trail behind their mother in her desperate search for food.
Lessie reached out for help, explaining that she could probably catch the puppies — but she had nowhere to send them. This is the same story we hear across countless small towns: rescuers are willing, but they need somewhere safe to send the animals. Somewhere that will provide medical care and, ultimately, forever homes.
That is what we do. We provide a way out. A way to safety.
Lessie managed to catch six of the pups herself, while volunteers helped her capture the last two. They even crawled on their bellies under the storage shed to make sure not a single one was left behind.
Now, all eight puppies are safe. Plans are in place to trap and spay the mother, ensuring that the cycle of suffering stops with this litter.
This one rescue doesn’t solve all of the problems for animals in this town, but it matters deeply. Every life saved makes a difference. And with your support, we can keep making that difference — one dog, one litter, one community at a time.